Oceana
Hurbanova |towns cities= Hurbanova |islands=Western Peace Island, Isle of Frisco, Isle of London |nicknames=''Oshenna'' |hexacode=OC / OC-01-01 |situationmap= |statemap= }} The State of Oceana or Oceana (Oceana: Oshenna or That Harven, IPA: oˈʃɛnʲɑ, tʰatˈɦɑːʁvən) is one of the states of Lovia. The Isles of Frisco and London and the southwestern part of Peace Island are situated in Oceana. The capital town is Hurbanova. Oceana is known for its beautiful forests. Oceana shares its borders with Sylvania; this border runs along the Beaver River and across the Emerald Highlands. The people of Oceana are called Oceana. Oceana is a unique state as it has its own cultural leader, the Heretow 'Oshenna. A few areas in the north of the state also have another cultural leader, the Baron of Donia. Etymology Before 1882, the region was known as Collinia, but this name was abandoned for political reasons. From 1882 to 1905, the state was simply known as West Sylvania. When the Lovian states were created in 1905, King Arthur II came up with the name Oceana, in honor of the Pacific Ocean which surrounds large parts of the state. This name was quickly taken over by the local population. History The first official documents of permanent settlement in the region currently known as Oceana date back to 1878, the same year the Oceana Wall was discovered. At the time, it was known as Collinia. The hamlet of Ryshembrock is the first-mentioned settlement of the present-day stateSlowane is a contestant to the title of first-mentioned settlement in Oceana, with claims going back to 1876. However, this is very much disputed by historians., being founded in 1877 (although it was probably not inhabited in the winter of 1877-1878). The area was an important area at the time, as it was the only Lovian area with significant coal reserves. As there was a shortage of laborers to work in the mines, Slavs from Slovakia, which was part of Austro-Hungary, and Poland, which was part of Russia, were taken to Lovia and mainly settled around the Beaver River Mouth and on Western Peace Island. Originally, small hamlets with a predominantly Slavic population were built close to the mines, but later on the population would be concentrated in Hurbanova (founded 1881) and East Hills. Other hamlets with a considerable number of inhabitants in the late nineteenth century include Sternaw and Scotland. Although the population was mainly Slavic (up to 90% in 1900), the area was governed by American entrepreneurs, most notably the Springhorse family. In 1881, the Slav majority, grouped in an underground organization called Srang Slowenski, killed William Springhorse, mayor of Calava (present-day Hurbanova), and in 1882, the took over all power. King Arthur I agreed with non-American government of the area if mining productivity were guaranteed and councils were created so mayors no longer had a monopoly of ruling their community. Kelový, Srang Slowenski's leader, was found guilty of murder and was sentenced to prison. Collinia was renamed to Western Sylvania. Hurbanova was devastated in 1884 as a result of a fire. As the town largely consisted of wooden buildings, firefighters were not able to control it and almost all properties were lost. Despite this, the town was rebuilt almost identically to its pre-torrid look, including the general street plan and cadastral borders. The fire also spread to several small-scale private mines in the town itself. As a consequence of the fire, all mines in a three-mile radius were closed, to prevent suffocation of mine workers and private mining was combatted. In 1890, the hamlet of Vlashka was founded on the Isle of Bratislava. This was one of the many hamlets destroyed during the 1903 Oceana earthquake. Most hamlets in the North Coast region were abandoned as a consequence of the earthquake, and the Isle of Bratislava, which had been penetrated by mining activities, collapse and eventually sunk into the sea. The 1903 earthquake led to an abrupt end of the City Archipelago colonization, and the islands were all abandoned. The Lovian states were created in 1905. The region, which was known by the more neutral term West Sylvania, formed the new state Oceana, a name which was made up by King Arthur II. When the state was created, the community of Beaver River Mouth merged with Hurbanova and several new borders were drawn. Stephen's Headland and Plemming merged with East Sylvania to form Sylvania. The border in the Emerald Highlands was changed, so Sylvania had access to several coal areas. The border between Sylvania and Oceana was, for a large part, defined by the Beaver River. Several farms (the area of Boborbrod) that used to belong to the Beaver River Mouth community became part of Noble City. The first elected Governor of Oceana was Kelový, who had liberated the Oceana people from the American "tyranny". As a Governor, he hardly achieved anything, and consequently he was not re-elected two years later, in 1907. That year, Marc Hladovka became Governor. He made the Oceana language an official state language, which it has remained until this day. From the twenties to the fifties, Oceana economy was booming because of large coal mines and other small-scale mining operations (mainly in the present-day Wine Region). Oceana inhabitants also made a fortune from the prohibition period, as Oceana was the only state in which alcoholic beverages could be produced and distributed legally. Because of this, especially Sylvanian dealers bought huge quantities of Oceana liquor to sell illegally in other states. This caused Oceana liquor to become very popular, even after the prohibition was ended. In 1936, Oceana was one of the states that threatened to leave Lovia (together with Clymene and Kings) if no federal democratic body was created. While the other states were mainly concerned about their economy which had been hard hit following the Great Depression, Oceana had recovered fairly easily because of the great reliance on minerals. However, Jonas Hladovka Sr. decided to join the protesting states in order to increase the state's autonomy. Ironically, the creation of the Royal Legislative Council would eventually decrease Oceana's self-rule, as well as its self-reliance. Demographics Oceana has a population number of 40,174 people (2012). Oceana's demographic makeup is rather homogeneous compared to other Lovian states. By far the largest ethnic group is the Oceana people (48%), followed by the Lovians (21%). Other ethnicities traditionally present in Oceana are the Slovaks (7%), Dutch people (3%), Americans (1%), and Poles (1%). Fast growing are the new immigrant groups of Limburgish people (8%), mainly coming from Mäöres, and the Romanians (5%). However, a clear trend of assimilation can be seen; more and more immigrant people consider themselves either Oceana or Lovian. Religiously, Oceana is rather homogeneous as well, with 68% of the population being Roman Catholic and 17% not affiliated with any religion. Oceana's religiosity is well-known across the nation, with many people voting for Christian politicians. Oceana has the highest fertility rate of all Lovian states, as well as the highest emigration rate, while other states tend to have relatively low fertility rates and a possitive net migration rate. For a long time, Oceana was one of the least populous areas of Lovia. This was mainly due to its predominantly male population. In 1905, when the states were created, Oceana had a population of barely 1,500 (less than 10% of the total Lovian population, compared to over 15% nowadays). While secularization took place in most parts of Lovia, this was not the case in Oceana, which has the highest fertility rate of Lovia. Large-scale emigration and a relatively high death rate, due to a higher number of murders and past armed conflicts against the Lovian federal state, are the main reasons for which Oceana does not have more population than other states in Lovia. Politics Oceana has often been considered an outsider state in Lovian politics. Especially in the period before 2010, Oceana was cited as being "a rightist island in a leftist nation". The state usually votes either center-right (formerly: Liberal Democrats) or center-left Christian (CCPL). Apart from this, several other political parties tend to get more support in Oceana than in other states. These include the state-specific (semi-)separatist parties Parti fo Nesavicelost 'Oshenna (far-right separatist) and Natsionalistiski Parti 'Oshenna (pro-devolution, alligned with Labour Party). In local elections, Party New Oceana traditionally becomes the second-largest party, but after the dissolution of the alligned Moderate Centrist Party, its future is unclear. Another party that is popular is the Limburgish Minority Party (mainly by voters from Mäöres). A minor party in Oceana politics is the conservative Reformed Traditional Party. A more recent party to enter Oceana politics is the Konservatni an Natsionalistiski Parti 'Oshenna (the party is in alliance with the CNP), it has stated that its final aim is to have Oceana be either a state in a confederate Lovia or an autonomous region in the nation. Currrently it is running on a mixed social policy and a limited free market economic policy platform and hopes that its new approach to traditional political issues can be a draw for new voters. Many influential politicians come from Oceana. In recent times, one of the most popular Lovian politicians from the state is Oos Wes Ilava who has managed to become Prime Minister. Oceana has the highest crime rate of Lovia, as well as the most corruption, including in state politics. State Elections Now follows the voting results for the local State Elections: Economy Oceana has four major economic branches. Most capital comes from the mining industry (36%), followed by agriculture (25%), tourism (17%) and fishery (14%). In 1900 this was different: mining industry (41%), fishery (32%) and agriculture (26%). In recent times fishery has become less important, because of legal restrictions, while tourism now plays an important role for the people of Oceana. Most inhabitants of Oceana are employed in the services sector. Compared to other states, Oceana has a relatively large part of its working population employed in the mining and industries sector. Oceana has the highest unemployment rate of Lovia, at about 10% of the working population. Unemployment is especially high in East Hills, where the retreat of the mining industry has caused many people losing their jobs. As a result, many people in East Hills live at or below the poverty line. Environment .]] Oceana is mostly covered with a vast pine forest, stretching from the west Pacific coast to the border with Sylvania. The geographical regions Central Hill Land and the Pacific Plains mainly consist of this forest. The Emerald Highlands show some forest coverage, but are mostly void of any true vegetation except for grasses, mosses, and shrubs. For the biggest part, this mountainous area forms a huge rock wasteland. Oceana is cut through by several minor streams, some of which join to form the Hurbanova Stream, while others join the Beaver River towards the Pacific Oceana south of Peace Island. Just northwest of Oceana is a beautiful coral reef called the Oceana Reef (or That Riffe) Diving in this area is possible. For more information visit the Diving Center. Another popular natural destination is That Pitte, including Lake Vizzock. A lot of Oceana soil is very suitable for agriculture, especially in the valleys carved out by the rivers and streams. However, the mountainous areas as well as areas with dense woods are less accessable and less arable, mainly due to high concentrations of rocks, as well as higher levels of acidity. Therefore, a large part of Oceana remains unexploited, and a majority of the area is protected on State level in the form of natural parks. Cities and towns * Hurbanova ** Downtown, the cultural and administrative center ** Drake Town, a residential neighborhood ** Millstreet, the touristic center ** Newport, a natural environment ** Overbanken, the youngest neighborhood * East Hills, a town built nearby a stone quarry Islands and reefs ;Islands * City Archipelago ** Isle of Frisco ** Isle of London * Peace Island (southwestern part) ;Reefs * Oceana Reef Tourism Tourism is one of the most important ways of income for the state. There are many tourist attractions, mainly natural, but also cultural in the capital, Hurbanova. Hotels and campgrounds * Ben's Beaver River Camping * Ben's Forest Camping * Oceana Hotel * Old Oceana Hotel * The Landmark Hotel References and notes Category:Oceana